Option agreement for land in Merseyside
You grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning.
An option agreement gives us the right, but not the obligation, to buy land within an agreed period, usually once planning is secured. The landowner is usually paid an option premium on signing and keeps the land meanwhile. On option agreements we pay the landowner's reasonable legal costs, with a cap agreed in the heads of terms.
Option agreement for land in Merseyside
Considering an option agreement for land in Merseyside? Here is how it works and where it fits. Merseyside centres on Liverpool, with Birkenhead and Wallasey across the Mersey, Southport and Formby on the coast, and towns such as St Helens, Bootle, Huyton and Kirkby. Green Belt separates many of these places and covers much of the remaining open land, so most housing comes from previously developed land, docks, former industrial estates and town-centre sites. Grey belt and small fringe sites can also come forward.
Regeneration areas along the Liverpool and Birkenhead waterfronts, and around Merseyrail stations, are a focus for higher-density homes. The coast from Southport to the Wirral includes internationally protected dunes and estuary habitats, so coastal schemes often need habitats assessment and recreation mitigation.
Where an English council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land, or its Housing Delivery Test result falls below 75%, the August 2026 NPPF can give policy support to suitable housing outside settlement boundaries.
National policy in England now recognises "medium development" of 10 to 49 homes on sites up to 2.5 hectares, and asks councils to allocate at least 10% of their housing on sites of one hectare or less and a further 10% on sites of one to 2.5 hectares.
Some land in Merseyside is designated Green Belt. If your land is within it, it may still qualify as grey belt or previously developed land under national policy, subject to the Golden Rules.
In short: you grant us the right to buy within a set period, usually for an option premium, while we pursue planning. It usually suits farmland and larger edge-of-settlement sites; strategic land needing local plan promotion; owners happy to wait for a better price. See how an option agreement works for the full process, pros and cons.
Land in Merseyside that often suits an option agreement
WantedResidential development land
Around Liverpool, the residential land that tends to work is close to existing homes, shops and transport rather than out on its own. Suits larger or longer-term land where planning may take several years.
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WantedLand without planning permission
Near Liverpool, land without planning is worth discussing where it adjoins existing homes or has been put forward to the council's plan. Suits bigger sites or longer timescales; you are paid a premium and keep the land meanwhile.
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WantedGarden and backland plots
Around Liverpool, garden land is most promising where a lane already runs behind the houses or two or three neighbours can sell together. Helpful where several gardens are being combined over time.
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WantedFarmland and paddocks
Fields that wrap around the edges of Liverpool and its neighbouring villages are the farmland we most want to talk about. The usual route for larger farmland: you keep farming and we promote the land.
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WantedStrategic land
Around Liverpool, strategic sites tend to be the big fields between the built edge and the main roads, where a whole new neighbourhood could be planned. The standard route: we fund promotion and you are paid on sale.
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WantedCommercial and industrial sites
We look at yards and units across Liverpool where the business use has run its course or the site sits awkwardly among houses. Possible for larger estates being phased out.
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WantedSites with lapsed or refused planning
Sites around Liverpool with an old refusal can be worth a second look, especially where local or national policy has since changed. Suits larger sites needing a longer route.
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WantedAllocated and promoted land
We are interested in land around Liverpool at any plan stage, from a first submission to an adopted allocation. Suits land at earlier plan stages.
Learn moreTowns we cover in Merseyside
Option agreement: questions
How long do options last?
It varies with the site and the planning route, from a few years for smaller sites to longer for strategic land. Extension terms are often included.
Do you really pay my legal costs?
On option agreements we pay the landowner's reasonable legal costs, up to a cap that we agree in the heads of terms.
What if you never exercise the option?
At the end of the option period the land is released, you normally keep the premium, and we remove our notice from your title.
Do you use option agreements for land in Merseyside?
Yes. We use option agreements across Merseyside and the rest of England, where the structure suits the site and the owner.